Featured Events in New York in September, 2025 (April Updated)

A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year. The fair plays a leading role in the city’s position as an important cultural capital through elevated presentations, thoughtful programming, curatorial leadership, meaningful institutional partnerships, and engaging public art activations.

A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year. The fair plays a leading role in the city’s position as an important cultural capital through elevated presentations, thoughtful programming, curatorial leadership, meaningful institutional partnerships, and engaging public art activations.

A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year. The fair plays a leading role in the city’s position as an important cultural capital through elevated presentations, thoughtful programming, curatorial leadership, meaningful institutional partnerships, and engaging public art activations.

A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year. The fair plays a leading role in the city’s position as an important cultural capital through elevated presentations, thoughtful programming, curatorial leadership, meaningful institutional partnerships, and engaging public art activations.

Lady Gaga New York City is set to be an unforgettable event, taking place at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 6, 2025, at 8:00 PM. Known for her electrifying performances and unparalleled stage presence, Lady Gaga will undoubtedly deliver a show that fans will remember for years to come. With tickets priced at $320, attendees can expect a night filled with chart-topping hits, stunning visuals, and the unique artistry that only Lady Gaga can provide. Madison Square Garden, located in the heart of New York City, offers the perfect backdrop for this highly anticipated event, promising an evening of high energy and musical excellence. This concert is a must-see for any music enthusiast looking to experience the magic of Lady Gaga in New York City.

Robert Rauschenberg’s artistic practice revolved around integrating “the real world” into his art, famously stating, “I want a picture to look like something it is.” This vision led him to incorporate found objects and photographs—ranging from taxidermized animals to newspaper clippings – into his work. In 2025, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) will celebrate Rauschenberg’s centennial with Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World, an exhibition that explores Rauschenberg’s complex relationship with photography, particularly in the context of New York City. The exhibition will feature three sections: “Early Photographs,” “In + Out City Limits / New York,” and “Photography in Painting”. An interactive collage component invites visitors to engage with Rauschenberg’s innovative image-making approach. The show is complemented by a companion book published by MCNY and Giles Ltd.

Robert Rauschenberg’s artistic practice revolved around integrating “the real world” into his art, famously stating, “I want a picture to look like something it is.” This vision led him to incorporate found objects and photographs—ranging from taxidermized animals to newspaper clippings – into his work. In 2025, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) will celebrate Rauschenberg’s centennial with Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World, an exhibition that explores Rauschenberg’s complex relationship with photography, particularly in the context of New York City. The exhibition will feature three sections: “Early Photographs,” “In + Out City Limits / New York,” and “Photography in Painting”. An interactive collage component invites visitors to engage with Rauschenberg’s innovative image-making approach. The show is complemented by a companion book published by MCNY and Giles Ltd.

Robert Rauschenberg’s artistic practice revolved around integrating “the real world” into his art, famously stating, “I want a picture to look like something it is.” This vision led him to incorporate found objects and photographs—ranging from taxidermized animals to newspaper clippings – into his work. In 2025, the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) will celebrate Rauschenberg’s centennial with Robert Rauschenberg’s New York: Pictures from the Real World, an exhibition that explores Rauschenberg’s complex relationship with photography, particularly in the context of New York City. The exhibition will feature three sections: “Early Photographs,” “In + Out City Limits / New York,” and “Photography in Painting”. An interactive collage component invites visitors to engage with Rauschenberg’s innovative image-making approach. The show is complemented by a companion book published by MCNY and Giles Ltd.

“Love is the key that takes cultures from oppression to joy. As a political unifier, the contract—love—takes on a liberating force,” artist Sabelo Mlangeni has said. Marking the 40th anniversary of New Photography, this exhibition brings together 13 artists and collectives who explore sites of belonging and forms of interconnectedness. Some of the artists weave personal stories within broader political histories to explore intergenerational memory. Others reimagine the idea of the archive to disrupt narratives of the past and imagine future communities. Lines of Belonging highlights artists working in four cities that have existed as centers of life, creativity, and communion for longer than the nation states in which they are presently situated. From Kathmandu to New Orleans, Johannesburg to Mexico City, these creative practitioners offer slowness, persistence, and care as an antidote to the viral, profit-driven speed of contemporary image consumption, metadata technologies, and artificial intelligence.

“Love is the key that takes cultures from oppression to joy. As a political unifier, the contract—love—takes on a liberating force,” artist Sabelo Mlangeni has said. Marking the 40th anniversary of New Photography, this exhibition brings together 13 artists and collectives who explore sites of belonging and forms of interconnectedness. Some of the artists weave personal stories within broader political histories to explore intergenerational memory. Others reimagine the idea of the archive to disrupt narratives of the past and imagine future communities. Lines of Belonging highlights artists working in four cities that have existed as centers of life, creativity, and communion for longer than the nation states in which they are presently situated. From Kathmandu to New Orleans, Johannesburg to Mexico City, these creative practitioners offer slowness, persistence, and care as an antidote to the viral, profit-driven speed of contemporary image consumption, metadata technologies, and artificial intelligence.

Eric Clapton and The Wallflowers are set to electrify New York City with an unforgettable performance at Madison Square Garden on September 19, 2025, at 7:30 PM. This iconic venue, located in the heart of New York City, will host an evening of legendary rock music, featuring the timeless guitar virtuosity of Eric Clapton and the soulful melodies of The Wallflowers. Ticket prices range from $69 to $330, offering a variety of options for fans eager to witness this extraordinary event. Known for his masterful guitar skills and a career spanning over five decades, Eric Clapton will undoubtedly deliver a captivating performance. The Wallflowers, led by Jakob Dylan, will bring their unique blend of rock and roots music, adding to the evening's allure. This event promises to be a highlight in the New York City music scene, attracting both long-time fans and new listeners alike.

For over six decades, the American artist John Wilson (1922–2015) made powerful and poetic works that reflected his life as a Black American artist and his ongoing quest for racial, social, and economic justice. Wilson's art reflected and responded to the turbulent times in which he lived. His subjects included racial violence, labor, the writings of Richard Wright, the Civil Rights Movement, street scenes, and intimate images of family life, with a particular focus on fatherhood. Despite the power of his art and the continuing relevance of the themes he explored, Wilson’s work has not received the recognition it deserves.

Sixties Surreal is an ambitious survey reimagining American art from “the long 1960s” (1958–72), encompassing the work of more than 100 artists. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, prints, film and video, and large-scale installation, this revisionist exhibition looks at the ways artists took permission from Surrealism to explore fundamental and underrecognized aesthetic currents, including psychosexual, fantastical, and revolutionary tendencies. Sixties Surreal recontextualizes some of the decade’s best-known figures alongside those only recently rediscovered. The exhibition gathers a range of works by artists including Diane Arbus, Lee Bontecou, Franklin Williams, Nancy Grossman, David Hammons, Linda Lomahaftewa, Mel Casas, Yayoi Kusama, Romare Bearden, and Louise Bourgeois, among others. In the 60s, many of these artists sought new strategies for connecting art back to a lived reality that seemed increasingly unreal due to rapid postwar transformation and the social, political, and technological upheavals of the later part of the decade. Organized thematically, Sixties Surreal offers a sweeping panorama of the era, juxtaposing contexts and forging new linkages across different communities and ideologies from the East Coast to the West. The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue structured chronologically from 1958 to 1972.

The Carle’s biggest annual event, this benefit celebrates individuals and organizations making lasting contributions in children’s literature. Join us for an evening of excitement, glamour, and inspiration! The presentation of awards will include tributes for each of the night’s four honorees, who are being celebrated for their life’s work. A portion of every ticket supports the attendance of select artists through our Inspiration Fund. Information Source: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art | eventbrite